


One Year

by makingitwork



Series: Chase/House [40]
Category: House M.D.
Genre: Happy Ending, Long Drabble, M/M, the year before the series was set
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-26
Updated: 2014-08-26
Packaged: 2018-02-14 22:25:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2205273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makingitwork/pseuds/makingitwork
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chase was House's duckling a whole year before Cameron and Foreman got there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Year

Chase was House's first duckling. He worked with him for a whole year on his own, before Cameron and Foreman joined the team.

This is how it began.

Chase paced nervously, tugging at his ugly pink tie that matched his ugly pink shirt. He swiped his hands through his hair, breathing deeply. It shouldn't be this nerve racking, right? Your first interview after medical school? But it was his first week in America, and everything was so big. The nurses kept shooting him reassuring smiles, and he looked at the other applicants, most older than him, sitting on the chairs.

"Hey?" A man snarled, from across the room "Would you sit your pert ass down? You're gonna wear a hole in the floor."

Chase sighed, shoulders dropping as he collapsed into the chair beside him. "Sorry man, just nervous I guess." He glanced at the older man beside him, wondering why he was in the hospital, but then he spotted the cane, and nodded. "Interviews start at 9," he glanced at his watch, it was still only 8:45.

" _You_ want a job _here?"_ the man asked incredulously and Chase arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah, something wrong with that?"

"Nope," the man popped the p "Do you think you'll get it?"

"I don't know," Chase sighed honestly, he stiffened when the older man pulled a container full of strawberries out of his bag, he stood up "Sorry man, allergic,"

The man ignored him, opening the container and pulling one out, examining it, and then sliding it into his mouth. "How allergic?"

Chase blinked. "Uh...severely?"

"I see," the man nodded "If you ate one right now, I'll give you the job."

Chase blinked again, before gasping. This was Doctor House. Doctor Gregory House, legend, sitting right in front of him! He should have realised it, what with the cane and snarky attitude that everyone spoke about, but none of that had clicked due to his nerves. He stared, in part awe, part wonder. Before realising he'd been offered an ultimatum. "You'll give me the job?"

"That's what I said. What's that accent by the way? Australian? British?"

Chase ignored him. "Just one strawberry?"

"Yup. So...British? Can't be with that tan. Right? Or do you tan at home?"

Chase leaned forward, peering at the red fruit. When he had a thought. "Will you administer the epipen?"

House smirked, as though he had expected Chase to forget that fact. "No."

"No?" Chase winced, stepping back, "Will you tell any of the nurses about my allergy?"

"No. Besides, why would that be a problem? They could just check your files."

"Apart from the fact that I only moved here a week ago and my files haven't been sent over yet."

"Moved here from where?" House frowned "Britain? Australia?"

Chase took a deep breath, leaned forward, and ate a strawberry.

 

JANUARY

"This is kinda fun, right?" House asked, the second week after hiring Chase "It's kinda like having a puppy. You follow me around everywhere, beg for attention, need to be fed..."

Chase sighed, "The patient still has an irregular heart beat. The medicine isn't working."

"Boring. Now shut up, I want you to meet Wilson."

"Who?"

"Bad dog." House flicked Chase's forehead and the Australian stopped, looking up at House with wide eyes, kinda like hitting a dog on the head with a rolled up newspaper. House smiled "There we go, now follow," he turned on his heel, smiling to himself when he heard Chase following eagerly. "Good boy." When they got to Wilson's office, House flung open the door extravagantly, and Wilson sighed. "I announce to you, my underling!" He shoved Chase forward and the Australian stumbled into the room, smiling weakly at Wilson.

Wilson nodded approvingly "You hired someone, Cuddy will be pleased."

"Go on, try him out," House smirked "He's smart."

Wilson looked apologetically to Chase. "Okay....where'd you study medicine?"

"Sydney. And uh...Melbourne." He nodded, shrugging at House's surprised look "I did a rotation in hypnosis."

Wilson sighed. "You hired him as a joke, right House?"

"No, I didn't actually realise he'd done that." The older man frowned "Come to think of it, I never looked at your resume."

"That's because you made a stupid deal that if I ate a strawberry, you'd hire me!"

"House!" Wilson exclaimed "Is that true?"

House ignored Wilson, shooing past him to sit at the computer and dredge up Chase's recently sent over files. Wilson and House froze. "You were in a Seminary for three years?" Chase shrugged, nodding. " _Why?"_

"Um...I don't know, why do people normally join seminaries? To get away from controlling fathers and abusive mothers." He smirked at House's face "Man, for a guy who sees everything, you sure do miss a lot."

"I didn't miss anything." House assured, standing up "But you..." he pointed his cane at Chase "Hide stuff."

"He was kicked out of the Seminary," Wilson called, still scanning through the file "But they still wrote him a recommendation letter, why?"

"They liked me." Chase shrugged and House laughed.

"See Wilson? Don't I know how to pick 'em? Controlling father, abusive mother, kicked out of seminary school, running to a different continent to get away from his family, willing to put his life in danger for a job, and lying to his boss. He's great, isn't he? Oh, and isn't he pretty?" Chase's cheeks burned red.

　

APRIL

　

"You've gotta get over this," House sighed, watching as Chase sat on the window sill, looking out at nothing. He stepped forward "Come on...I mean, yes, a baby died, it's very sad, but we still have other babies we gotta save."

"It's my fault," Chase whispered, tears stinging blue eyes "I got the diagnosis wrong, I should've listened to you..." he shook his head "The baby _you_ treated is still alive."

House frowned, swallowing thickly, his voice soft "Chase...I didn't hire you so that you would listen to me all the time. You have to have an opinion. Your own ideas. So the baby died, boohoo, we get over it." He turned for the door "Now come on, let's get something to eat."

"I'm not hungry," Chase called, head pressed against the cool glass. House sighed, leaving.

　

JULY

　

"I'm sorry, are you the new head of diagnostics?"

"Uh....no?"

House rolled his eyes, shooing Chase off his seat, and Chase moved obligingly, easily, still tossing the ball into the air, he tossed it over to House, who in return, threw it back, admiring to himself, the casualness in which Chase got on with everyone. "Any new ideas?"

"I found a lot of mould in her house, I was thinking acardia thrombosis?"

House nodded, pleased, catching the ball "Go treat it."

Chase nodded.

　

SEPTEMBER

"This is weird." Chase admitted, watching House miss all 15 pins in the bowling alley "I don’t understand why you invited me out, we never do things outside of work together."

"Consider this bonding," House smirked, limping to his seat, gesturing for Chase to get up and bowl, the blond sighed, picking up a bowling ball, and streaking forward, getting a perfect strike. He turned towards House, smiling. "Okay, so the Australian can add bowling to his already impressive skill set."

"House, what are we really doing here?"

"Bowling,"

Chase massaged his temple "Why don’t you want to tell me? Is something up between you and Wilson? You and Cuddy? You and some patient who’s gonna try and shoot you?"

House never tells him that the only reason he wanted Chase to go bowling with him was so that he could see him bend over.

 

NOVEMBER

"House," Chase drags his hands through his hair "I have sided with you, every opportunity but this…this is illegal! You’re not his doctor! Switching the meds will get us thrown into prison!"

House growled, low on Vicodin "Switch the meds, Chase."

Chase struggled, he looked as though he was in pain as he shook his head, his voice breaking into a quiet whisper "I _can’t…"_

House glared "Do it. Or you’re fired."

Chase looks up with wide eyes, and he steps forward, one hand out to touch House’s shoulder "House, maybe you should talk to Wilson, get a second opinion, because you’re not making s-" House punches him so hard that he knocks back and _smashes_ his head into the glass wall, so hard that everything shatters, and he’s lying in a pool of glass and blood.

He has to wear a neck brace for three weeks, and during those weeks, House falls in love with him. Because when affronted by the head of the hospital, Chase sticks with the story he tripped right over a lizard into a glass door. And that House wasn’t even in the room.

　

DECEMBER

"Come on," Chase laughs, licking a stripe up the candy cane "This is fun."

House follows the movements of Chase’s tongue on the long candy cane, but ultimatey rolls his eyes. "This is just a little better than average, it’s not fun. And why do we have to wear these dumb Santa hats?"

Chase just laughs, and sets down his candy cane, which House steels and starts sucking on. "Gross," Chase laughed again, he’s a little tipsy, so it’s a good thing they’ve locked themselves in the staffroom. Wilson’s probably outside causing a fuss. "Here," he pulls a wrapped present out of his bag "Merry Christmas, for a great year together,"

"Are you forgetting the 5 times I fired you?"

"Are you forgetting the 5 times you rehired me?"

House fought a smile, as Chase rolled about on the floor laughing, House was leaning propped up against the wall, the sofa apparently not good for the doctors. The gift looks expensive, but it it’s just a tiny, metal circle, he stares at Chase. "Believe it or not, I’m not a robot, and I don’t run on batteries."

Chase rolled his eyes "It’s a minuture shocker, you can attach it to the bottom of your cane and administer small electric shocks to people."

House stares, a little stunned "Woah…that’s…that’s a gift I actually like,"

"Good, it was expen-" Chase is being cut off my a pair of rough domineering lips are capturing his soft pink ones.

TWO WEEKS LATER

"Cuddy wants me to hire two more ducklings."

Chase frowned, curling into House’s side on the bed, a light sheen of sweat covering him. "Why?" He asks, "I’m not enough?"

"We average a case a week, she says with more people, we’ll get through them faster." He drags his fingertips over Chase’s spine, kissing the top of his head, loving the feeling of their bare skin grazing one another’s. "I don’t want two new people to make fun of. Why would I? I have you."

"I like things the way they are," Chase pouted, eyes drifting shut as House pulled the blanket over both of them. "Don’t worry, I’ll treat you exactly the same, no favouritism just because you’re my little sex toy-"

"Boyfriend."

"I mean boyfriend," House chuckled "It’ll be fun."

Chase rolled his eyes "I bet."

 


End file.
